Decision-making for enteral feeding administration: the why behind where and how

Enteral nutrition has become the preferred route of nutrient administration. Because of vigorous attempts to deliver nutrient enterally in expanded patient groups, many different locations for enteral access have been advocated along with a variety of methods related to rate and pattern of delivery. Because all modes of delivery are not compatible with all sites of access and both need to be tailored to specific subsets of patients, confusion can develop regarding where and how enteral nutrients are best delivered and why. In an era when such a high priority has been placed on feeding through the enteral route, a review of the methods and rationale behind the ever-expanding choices of enteral access is timely.